Audioboo Creat your podcast

What is this?

This is an useful online tool which can be used to record sound, as well as a fabulous website that  allows users to post and share sound files. It is a great way to creat and share one's podcast on Internet.

Why is the content good for language learning?

For students:

• The sound files or recordings in this website is a collection of all aspects of our life and society from all over the world. From economy, science,culture and education to sport, entertainment, travel and daily life, students can choose various topics in which they are interested to listen.
• All the recordings are authentic listening materials and listening input, which enables students to get in touch with a real English world and practice listening ability.
• Free to sign up an account,  listen to other's podcast, make and post students' own recording will motivate students to learn both on class and after class and increase their autonomy.
• Be consuming for language learning. Students can use this tool to do group discussion or presentation.
• Be producing for language production. When students record their own sound, they may find their speaking problem and self-correct.
• Comparing their own recordings of different periods, they may find the improvement in speaking and be encouraged.
• From teacher's podcast, students may have another chance to learn what they missed or unknown on class.
• This website enables students to pur forward any question and express the idea what they want to say withour worrying about some restricted factors of class.

For teacher:

• A good tool to post teacher's lecture and instruction and share with students.
• Teacher can download or record some listening materials as a warm-up activities or a preview material for students before class, or a homework and after-class activities.
• Giving more opportunities for teacher to interact with students.
• A good resouce for teacher to apply some listening materials on class and after class.
• Teacher can check students' homework, speaking proficiency, specific pronunciation and improvement, etc. through their recording.
• Easy to be embeded in teacher's blog.

 How might you use it in a language teaching context?

For example,

1. Teacher embeds a podcast (can be self-recorded or online materials) in her blog, and asks students to listen to it and complete the task (might be a integrative listening and speaking task based on a specific topic) before next class.
2. The way students to do this task is to record what they think and talk on audioboo, then post their recordings and share with their classmates.
3. Teacher check students' homework and their speaking accuracy and fluency according to their recordings. Then give comments, suggestion, and feedback to students, also by sending teacher's recording.

Limitations

• A huge workload for teacher to respond to every student by recording one by one.
• Might be difficult to search a suitable listening material due to different levels of students.
• A rich resources of podcasts might distract students.